tethers
by blames the sky
Summary: He knows better than to pretend like everything isn't shattering around them. Takes place during Alpha Pact in the moments we didn't get to see. (low key Allisaac)


_Figured I would try my hand at something after the stampede of feelings that was episode 11. Hope you guys like it!_

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Isaac sinks to the ground with her, one hand tangled in her hair while the other rubs her back, and the vault is almost deathly silent. He wants to speak, wants to tell her that it's going to be okay, but he knows better than to pretend like everything isn't shattering around them.

"Talk to me, Allison," he murmurs instead.

"What is there to talk about?" she asks, raising her head. "Isaac, my dad's gone. Jennifer has him, too…"

"And we're gonna get him back. We're gonna get all of them back," Isaac responds, placing a hand on her cheek. "He wouldn't have done that unless he had a plan."

"It would have been nice if I knew that plan," she retorts, her voice cracking slightly. "Isaac, I can't lose him, too."

"I know." His hand is still on her cheek, and he wonders if wolves can't sap emotional pain like they can with the physical, but that maybe it would be too easy if they could. He's not even sure she would want him to. "You won't lose him. We're gonna find them."

He knows he's repeating himself at this point, but apparently it's working, because she pushes herself up a bit more, meeting his eyes. She takes a breath. "We're going to find them."

He gives her a smile, resting his forehead against hers for a moment. "Yeah, we are."

Later, when Stiles and Deaton have left to fetch Scott and Lydia is outside, lying to her mother about where she'll be for the next couple of hours (Oh just helping to murder my best friends, you know), Isaac turns to Allison. "You're sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure," she responds, and inwardly he commends her for how strong her voice sounds. "I told you...I can't lose him."

"I know," Isaac murmurs. She's already lost her aunt, her mother, been betrayed and used by her grandfather like she doesn't even matter (they're not really losses and she's better off, but it doesn't change the fact that they're family and they're gone), and he has a feeling that they'll lose her too if Chris dies. It's too much for anyone to handle. "But there's still time. To actually find them."

"I don't think so. Deaton told us like this was his absolute last resort...if we had time, we wouldn't even know this was a possibility."

"You're too logical, you know that?" He asks and then, really only half thinking about it, pulls her into a hug. He buries his face in her hair, taking in the scent of her shampoo, and after a moment her arms snake around his torso. She grips the back of his shirt tightly, telling him wordlessly that he made the right choice.

Once again, he finds himself silent, but this time he doesn't think there's anything else to say. And she apparently doesn't feel the need either, so they stand there and just breathe, and it's what he needs to convince himself that she's gonna be okay, that they'll be okay. Maybe it has the same effect for her, because when she eventually moves away she's got a determination in her eyes that wasn't quite there before.

And when Deaton tells them about the need for a tether, it dawns on him that there's really only a couple of ways this is going to work with who's available. Sure enough, when Deaton orders Lydia to stay with Stiles (he's surprised they didn't realize it themselves, honestly) and the realization comes to Allison and Scott next, the Beta in him wants to roll over, belly up, and beg forgiveness from the Alpha Scott's quickly becoming for intruding on his territory. But Scott just mumbles that it's okay and Isaac lets himself breathe again, lets himself look down at Allison. He doesn't let himself say anything, but tries to communicate wordlessly the way they have been all day. Whatever it's worth, he's confident that he can handle this, can bring her back from whatever place people go when they die (he hopes there's a hell, because even though he's pretty confident in his abilities, he doesn't particularly want to pick up the pieces if the spirits of Victoria and Kate Argent are waiting for her on the other side).

"Everyone ready?" Deaton asks.

They all nod, and Isaac catches the hand Allison has the silver bullet in, causing her to meet his eyes. He wants to say something clever and reassuring, but he's coming up short, so he just squeezes her hand.

She uncurls her fingers from the bullet, leaving it pressed between their palms, and squeezes back. "We're going to find them."

That determination is still there and he smiles, nods slightly. "Yeah. We are."


End file.
